Jamie, 5, aims to aid his hospital 'family'
Looking at Jamie Goodwin's rosy cheeks and wide grin, you would not think he had been through three lots of open-heart surgery.
A day old when he had his first operation at Glenfield Hospital, the youngster went on to have further surgery at four weeks old and another operation in May this year.
Despite everything he has been through, the energetic five-year-old was playing and running about the same as any other boy at a charity event on Saturday organised to raise money for other poorly youngsters.
Parents Karen and Richard, of Enderby, who adopted Jamie when he was 18 months old, said the past few years had been far from easy – but that the care and support from staff at Glenfield had helped them through.
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They spoke out to praise the hospital following a decision to move children's heart services from Leicester to Birmingham.
Karen said: "His last operation was nine hours long. It was the longest day of our lives and was horrible."
The 37-year-old said they had come to look on the hospital as a second home over the years, and its staff as Jamie's saviours.
The youngster lived in the hospital and was known as "the ward baby" until Richard and Karen adopted him.
"The nurses and doctors have known him longer than we have because they've been with him since day one," Karen said. Jamie calls his heart his "special heart" and is determined to prove he is far from poorly.
The youngster still has to go to Glenfield for regular check-ups and one day might need a transplant.
But, thanks to a mobile device which tests the oxygen levels in his blood, he does not have to make the trip to hospital for regular monitoring.
The machine and accompanying equipment costs about £500. Jamie's family were able to buy one.
The fun day at Enderby Cricket Club on Saturday was held to raise cash for families who can not afford to pay for the machine.
Richard, 38, said: "We want to help as many children as possible."
The announcement about the closure of children's heart services at Glenfield was made in July, following a national review.
Karen said Birmingham was an option when considering where to have Jamie's final operation, but that they wanted him to be treated in Leicester.
"There have been times when I have called them in the middle of the night just to ask a questions," Karen said. "They are the best doctors in the world. We were offered Jamie's operation at Birmingham but we turned it down.
"At Glenfield it is a family. You can't just move that."
So far, more than 62,000 people have signed an online petition against the decision to close the unit which has helped Jamie and thousands of other poorly children like him.
If 100,000 people put their names to it, the matter could be debated in Parliament.
To add your signature, visit:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/ petitions/35788
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